


New life, old habits

by justAleks



Series: Old Bakugan fics written in Polish but finally translated [3]
Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Slice of Life, even if both of them do their very best to ignore it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:06:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27453199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justAleks/pseuds/justAleks
Summary: Professor Fermin, while overworking himself, comes face to face with a disgusted Spectra (who may o may not have voluntarily chosen to visit a local zombie scientist, who knows?).
Relationships: Spectra Phantom | Keith Fermin & Clay Fermin
Series: Old Bakugan fics written in Polish but finally translated [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999174
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	New life, old habits

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Nowa rzeczywistość, stare nawyki](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27453136) by [justAleks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justAleks/pseuds/justAleks). 



Spectra made his way into the lab completely and utterly by accident.  _ Really _ . He wasn't planning on ending up there. It never even crossed his mind when The Vexos had been summoned to a meeting at Zenoheld's Castle. 

However, after a long and monotonous tirade about how The Vexos became a bunch of spoiled loafers, whose fame got to their heads (at this point Zenoheld looked at Spectra in such a way, that a cold chill galloped up and down his back), Phantom decided to explore the castle in order to regain emotional his balance and let the need to throw something at Zenoheld’s head fizzle out. The fact that his legs had led him right to the door of lab number five was pure coincidence, and since he was so close to Professor Fermin already, he decided to take the opportunity to check, whether the scientist was actually doing his duties or got engrossed in one of his side-projects.

“You look like you wrestled with Helios barehandedly,” he blurted out before he could bite his tongue at the sight of the man. Fermin just looked at him grimly and took a sip of coffee held in one hand. In the other, he had a  _ thing  _ that consisted of tinplate and a million tangled wires.

“I’d also like to say that it's nice to see you but I don't condone lying.” Even his voice was hoarse. Spectra narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but instead of talking back, he took a closer look at the scientist. The shadows under his eyes made him look like one of those earthly trash-diving animals — a raccoon if he remembered Shadow’s babble correctly, and his disheveled hair stood almost as proud as the Spectra's elaborate hairdo. Even the neglected beard was fluffed up as if Fermin had been caressed by 220V.

“Har, har. I’m crying with laughter.” Spectra crossed his arms over his chest. Some small part of his conscience made him wonder if the professor planned to kill himself by overworking and if he should knock some sense into his head once again, but the image of  _ Spectra  _ did not allow such an obvious display of concern. Before he could formulate an effective plan to look after the scientist's health in the most off-hand way, Fermin turned his back on him and wandered deeper into the lab. 

Phantom contemplated for a moment whether it was a show of concern for him to follow, but decided to play it out as if he was just trying to annoy the man. 

“Where did the rest of your minions go?” Spectra asked casually, looking around the strangely empty laboratory.

“They work in seventeen, I've had enough of the idiots doing nothing but getting in the way.” The man waved his hand vaguely indicating either the fifth or seventeenth lab. Spectra noticed the horrendous mess surrounding them and quickly realized that the idiots’ banishment must have taken place some time ago. 

Such a decision did not surprise him, he had witnessed Fermin throwing his assistants out the door because one of them had illegibly written down notes and the professor was on the verge of a nervous breakdown caused by the impending deadlines more than once. Spectra thanked the gods above, that he himself was much more resistant to stress.

“And you're telling me you're working here all alone?”

“Of course not! I've got Zenoheld breathing down my neck to help me!” Phantom, for a moment, tried to stare the scientist into having a normal conversation with him, but Fermin was either immune to this glare or the mask ruined the whole effect.

“If you have finished wasting my precious time, I invite you to leave. I believe you will find the exit yourself.” The man dismissed him with a wave of his hand. The one that was holding the thing and some of the wires decided to make a run for their lives and popped out from it. Both Spectra and Fermin stared at the limp wires for a moment before the scientist blinked and stepped over them to get to one of the less cluttered tables. Spectra watched the whole thing, torn on what to do.

On the one hand, Fermin was right: The Vexos needed the best machines to defeat the Resistance (although Spectra doubted it would be much help, at this point), Zenoheld rode all the scientists he had in hand and a few corrupt eggheads outside his circle to death to complete the Bakugan Termination System, developed by Fermin himself. And to add to it all, Spectra was sure that the scientist was trying to sneak in any conversations he had with the king hints about funding for a replacement system as if he was short of constant work. 

On the other hand, the sight of the top scientist trying unsuccessfully to stick the scrap he had previously held with duct tape, made Phantom doubt Fermin’s sanity. A feeling suspiciously similar to melancholy crawled through Spectra’s mind before he got a hold of it and locked in the deepest depths of his soul.

Not so long ago, more often than not, he had to make sure Clay Fermin hadn't accidentally driven his poor assistants to madness with his horrible habits. Or hadn't sent himself to an early grave because of his work, while he was trying to traumatize his poor minions. In extreme situations, he sent Mira to play on her father's conscience with her sad puppy eyes and coerce him to take a break. 

This time, however, he wasn't here as a concerned son, and Mira was on the other side of Vestalia, personally fueling Clay’s creative frenzy. Spectra did not want to fall out of the role of a cynical, cold-hearted leader, but saw no other way to nudge Fermin’s common sense into taking charge. 

While Phantom was trying to come up with some sort of a plan, the scientist had finished tormenting the trashy piece of scrap metal and focused all his attention on the photocopies of some design — possibly a replacement system. The boy scratched his head and in the process ruffled his hair, as he noticed Clay staring with a blank expression at the design. Upside-down.

“Tell me, when was the last time you slept?” eventually, he decided to ignore the role of the best Pyrrus brawler for a while and take back the role of a son. Fermin stared dead-eyed, for a moment at a point on the plan, then looked up and stared blankly at Spectra. The boy realized how uncomfortable his mask must have been. He high-fived himself internally.

“I’m planing a weekly nap for Thursday in two weeks.” Deadpanned the ruffled scientist. If Spectra didn't have a mask on his nose, he would have squeezed it in a gesture of irritation with a hint of pity. A sense of familiarity nested in his heart, unbothered by his attempts at shooing it away.

“You're already a zombie, just letting you into the lab is a safety hazard. Is it so hard to see?”

“I am the best scientist here, this group of idiots won’t do squat without me.” Fermin didn't seem to believe what he was saying himself.

“... You're just a vestalian and lack of sleep makes you make idiotic mistakes, mind that Zenoheld won't hesitate to fire you, if you fail him more than you already managed.” It was disturbing to lecture his father again in the full regalia of Spectra Phantom but chose to ignore the feeling. The professor stared at the Phantom for a moment as if he were a phenomenon, apparently coming to similar conclusions. 

Ever since they both found themselves under the 'guardian' wing of the king, the fact that they are related has become an open secret, between them. Both Spectra and Professor Fermin gracefully ignored any hints that pointed they know each other. Usually, at least.

They looked at each other for a moment, and finally, Fermin seemed to grasp the dichotomy of Spectra's behavior with his appearance. He blinked a few times in quick succession. 

“Ugh, I never want to be instructed by Vexos again. It's unnatural,” he shuddered, getting up from the table and heading towards the exit. Spectra turned and followed him, feeling victorious. Professor looked at his red shadow over his shoulder and frowned. “You're gonna lull me to sleep?”

Phantom snorted in response, “And there went the last bits of sanity of our top scientist, make sure Zenoheld doesn't realize you’ve gone mental.”

After leaving the lab, Spectra decided to get out of the castle as quickly as possible, but before he could go too far, he had the impression that he heard Fermin laughing maniacally. The utter lack of sleep must have really messed up his head, he thought, but a shadow of a smile wandered on the boy's lips.


End file.
